How Does Stress Affect Skin?

Stress is a combination of natural psychological and physical reactions we have in response to certain stimuli, be they environmental or internal. For example, physical stress may be brought on by running a marathon, psychological stress might be caused by money worries or a demanding job and home life.

Essentially, stress is the body’s reaction to a challenge, historically this would have been a ‘fight or flight’ reaction to survive. Whilst we may no longer have to run from a hungry sabre toothed tiger, we still have modern day stressors that trigger the stress response.

Research has shown that stress is a major factor affecting our physical and mental health. It can lead to chronic disease and even hair loss. But did you know that stress and skin are also linked and that being stressed can cause skin symptoms such as acne spots and inflammation, as well as wrinkling and skin ageing?

Many of us now live in a constant state of high stress which is having a hugely adverse effect on our skin and health. It is difficult to see the effect stress has on our health as it can build up over time so often goes unnoticed. But in terms of our skin, the effects can negatively affect our complexion more quickly than we may think.

So taking steps to manage stress levels could mean that our skin problems become easier to manage.

Here's how stress can cause skin problems and how stress affects your body.

How Does Stress Affect Your Skin?

When the body is in a state of stress, stress hormones are released and blood is directed to our vital organs which can have a negative impact on our skin health.

An increase in stress hormones such as cortisol, signals to the body to increase androgen levels (androgens are the male sex hormones that are also present in female bodies, just to a lesser extent). This can then lead to visibly larger pores and more oil production. In turn, this can then lead to skin inflammation and you may notice that acne and oily skin symptoms get worse.

So here's more on the effects on your skin and the chronic skin conditions linked to stress.

Stress-Related Skin Dehydration

Too much cortisol being released into the body reduces water retention within the skin and decreases skin hydration. Dehydrated skin is constantly under pressure to take moisture from wherever it can and a loss of skin hydration can lead to common skin dryness and dullness.

If left unchecked, the skin can become parched, cracked and flakey, with redness and irritation. If you have a skin disease such as eczema, that affects the skin as well as the scalp, you may find that your skin and hair become even more unmanageable.

Can Stress and Anxiety Cause Dry Skin?

Yes. as we just learned above, a common response to stress, especially emotional stress, is for the skin to become dry. Stress may also lead to irritated or inflamed skin that's difficult to manage.

How Does Stress Affect Skin: Collagen Production and Skin Ageing

Stress reduces levels of the hormones required to synthesise collagen. Collagen is the protein that's responsible for keeping the skin plump and youthful. Therefore, premature skin ageing can be caused by stress.

High cortisol levels can also cause the skin to become thinner, which can make your skin appear sallow and aged.

Stress Can Cause the Skin Skin to Receive Fewer Nutrients

Our skin cells require nutrients and oxygen in ready supply in order to carry out all their required functions effectively.

When we're under stress, more blood is directed to our vital organs and our arteries are restricted which reduces the blood flow to the skin and the nutrients being delivered to it.

This is another reason why stress and skin conditions are so interlinked. If our skin is receiving fewer nutrients, then it can make the skin more sensitive and reactive to conditions like acne and rosacea, making them appear worse. There are a number of skin conditions related to stress, including an itchy rash and inflammation.

Stress Can Trigger Increased Free Radical Damage and Oxidative Stress

Free radicals are unstable molecules that steal electrons from other molecules including proteins, lipids and even DNA. The good news is, they're usually neutralised by antioxidants from our diet which keep them in check.

However, if the body has too many free radicals our natural antioxidant pool can’t cope with the increased demand, upsetting the balance. This imbalance is known as oxidative stress and the consequence is cell damage.

High levels of stress can cause this imbalance, leading to free radical damage and oxidative stress. Therefore, if we're experiencing stress, our skin may suffer with dullness, dryness and inflammation.

Skin Inflammation and the Effects of Stress

Stress increases the levels of the hormone insulin in our body. Insulins' main job is fat and carbohydrate regulation clearing excess sugar from our blood. If this isn't maintained it can cause the levels of inflammation to increase.

Inflammation can lead to chronic inflammatory conditions such as obesity, type 2 diabetes and heart disease. But heightened stress levels can also lead to inflammatory skin conditions such as rosacea and eczema.

Stress can also cause the skin's nerve endings to release higher amounts of neuropeptides which can create inflammation.

Stress Can Increase Skin Ageing

Our epidermal skin cells lie on top of each other and are packed tightly together, forming a strong barrier that blocks the penetration of bacteria and other pathogens.

When we're under stress, however, this protective outer layer is weakened. Therefore one of the other stress effects on the skin is an increase in the visible signs of ageing caused by a weakened skin barrier such as fine lines and wrinkles.

Of course, ageing skin can be caused by something else - namely the natural ageing process. But if you have many sources of stress in your life or an ongoing stress, then your skin can be affected by stress in terms of ageing, saging and drooping.

Can Stress and Anxiety Cause Skin Rashes?

Since stress can lead to an impaired skin barrier in the upper layer of the skin, it may also lead to skin irritation and rashes may appear on the skin of the face and body.

The effects of an impaired epidermis:

• The skin barrier becomes more permeable allowing more irritants, allergens, and even germs to penetrate the skin and cause problems. Specifically, stress can make rosacea more red or acne lesions more inflamed and more persistent. It can worsen dermatitis, hives, fever blisters and psoriasis, too.
• The skin's natural protective antibodies decreases dramatically, opening up opportunities for bacteria and germs to enter into the deeper layers of your skin. This can lead to breakouts and problematic skin.
• It can increase rosacea as stress increases blood flow and may cause inflammation and the capillaries to expand. Stress also triggers flushing which can increase the symptoms of rosacea. And because stress weakens your immune system, flare-ups may last longer.

Stress Rash: Can Stress Cause Hives and Itchy Skin?

Yes, as we discovered above, one of the stress symptoms that may manifest in the skin is itching and skin rashes, which can include itchy red bumps called hives. Although these are most commonly associated with an allergy.

Can Stress Make Skin Conditions Such as Acne and Eczema Worse?

It's quite clear from all of the points mentioned here, that stress can affect the skin quite dramatically. Different people will experience stress differently, but what's clear is, that it may well be upsetting our skin.

Therefore, if you have acne prone skin or skin that acts up, you may find that stress and acne flare ups tend to go hand in hand. The same can be said for eczema. If you have a mental health condition, such as anxiety and depression, you may also find that your skin condition becomes worse when your mental health does.

What is Stress?

Stress isn’t necessarily a bad thing. In fact, our ancestors were thankful for it.

Faced with a sabre-toothed tiger, they developed what we now know as our fight or flight stress reaction, without which we wouldn’t have made it out of prehistoric times. It allowed them to make the split second decision to stick around and fight the animal or run away from the dangerous situation.

Although we modern day humans are unlikely to come face to face with a big cat or any other terrifying animals as we go about our daily lives, our fight or flight response is still important. Stress is a part of modern day life. When we’re faced with a dangerous, or stressful situation, the body releases stress hormones including cortisol and adrenaline.

Cortisol causes a surge in blood sugar into the bloodstream so that the brain has a plentiful supply of this energy and drives energy away from non-essential systems such as the digestive system and cellular growth. This frees up more energy for the brain and muscles to fight or flight.

Adrenaline causes an increase in heart rate, blood pressure and energy availability. If the danger is an approaching car as we crossed a road, or meeting someone new for the first time, then the stressor is short lived. Once the danger has passed, or we feel relaxed, cortisol and adrenaline levels drop and we return to normal. But if stress is more long term, then we suffer the consequences of these hormones and heightened responses.

Short term stress is beneficial. It helps to keep us alert, energetic and productive. But chronic stress, which many of us suffer with, can lead to chronic health conditions such as heart disease.

It can also lead us to make poor life choices such as choosing comfort food over healthier meals and drinking more alcohol than the safe recommended limits which in turn also lead to chronic diseases. Stress manifests itself physically by causing heart palpitations, an increased breathing rate and sweating. Over time, it can lead to tense muscles, dizziness, headaches and disturbed sleep. More seriously, it can cause high blood pressure and chest pain.

What Effect Does Stress Have on Our Bodies?

When the body is in a state of stress, stress hormones are released causing the body to tense, blood sugar levels increase to fuel instant energy, the heart rate accelerates and blood pressure rises, all to become hyper alert. Having this response to a situation used to make the difference to our ancestors as to whether they would live or die.

It would be a short term experience and therefore would not impact their health. The difference in the modern day is that some of us live under constant stress which leads to health issues.

Stress Raises Levels of Cortisol

Stress raises levels of cortisol, a catabolic hormone that breaks down tissue. At the right time and levels, cortisol is a helpful hormone to have, but if too much is released it becomes a negative as it starts to break important structures including collagen. Too much cortisol can cause increased fat accumulation, reduced water retention, increase in blood sugar levels, increased oil production, dry skin, and breakouts.

Stress Increases Adrenaline

Another major way that stress affects the skin is by affecting the complexion. When stressed, our bodies produce adrenaline, which is helpful if you’re out in the woods running from a predator, but, in daily life, it only can hurt.

The effects of too much adrenaline are as follows:

• Blood flow to the skin is decreased, taking important nutrients (most importantly, oxygen) away from the skin. This allows for toxins to build up, a step that leads many types of skin to develop cellulite as well.
• Glucose (sugar) is released into the blood to give you that burst of energy you need for 'fight-flight mode'. If your body doesn't use these sugars a process called glycation starts where the sugars are reabsorbed into the layers of surrounding tissues and skin.
• Arteries are restricted which cuts the blood supply to the skin reducing it’s ability to receive the nourishment it needs.
• The skin’s natural protective antibodies decreases, opening up opportunities for bacteria and germs to enter into the deeper layers of your skin.

Stress also reduces levels of dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) which is a cousin of testosterone and oestrogen. DHEA has an anti-inflammatory effect and has shown to increase collagen production when applied topically. Therefore, if we have less of it, the skin suffers.

Stress Increases Insulin Levels

Whether caused by diet affecting the skin or chronic stress, high blood sugar levels inevitably lead to increased insulin production. Secreted in the beta cells of the pancreas (situated just under our ribs on the left), insulin is a major hormone. Its main job is fat and carbohydrate regulation. At optimal levels, insulin is our friend, clearing excess sugar from our blood.

However, the effects of increased insulin levels include:

• Promotes inflammation and ageing.
• Encourages weight gain: High insulin levels caused by chronic stress give the body the false impression that it has plenty of food which causes fat to stockpile, especially around our middle.
• Increase in neuropeptides: Stress can result in the skin’s nerve endings releasing higher levels of neuropeptides and this in turn can create inflammation and uncomfortable skin sensations, such as numbness, itching, sensitivity or tingling.
• Accelerates the shortening of our cell telomeres: If chromosomes encode our genetic information in the form of DNA, telomeres are the protective end parts of these chromosomes, there to maintain the integrity and stability of the genetic data. Every time a cell divides, our chromosomes naturally erode and shorten a little. It’s crucial that the genetic information in our chromosomes remains fully in tact, in order to avoid genetic defects. Chronic stress can accelerate the shortening of our cells telomeres and therefore increase the speed of the ageing process.
• Can affect our digestive system: When stressed, the body’s digestive system can go a bit haywire because the blood is directed away from the digestive system and everything becomes a little acidic. Unbalanced digestion has been found to lead to problem skin such as dryness, oiliness, blemishes and dullness, or sometimes a combination of all of these issues. Problems such as eczema and dermatitis can occur, too.
• Capillaries can expand: The increased blood flow that occurs when you're under duress may cause capillaries to expand. Stress also triggers flushing known as rosacea, according to the National Rosacea Society. And because stress weakens your immune system, flare-ups may last longer.

How Does Stress and Anxiety Affect Your Skin: Research studies

In a British Medical Journal study people were asked to rate photographs which contained pictures of people who were either sleep deprived or not. People who weren’t sleep deprived were considered to be healthier and more attractive, presumably due to a lack of stress keeping them awake and therefore not affecting the skin. Read study here.

Stress Management and Sleep

So, sleep seems to be one of the best stress management techniques. But when we sleep might also have an effect...

Do you jump out of bed first thing in the morning or are you more likely to come into bloom late in the night? Your answer, it turns out, will actually have a lot to do with your genetics. And this can have a big impact on your day-to-day productivity.

Researchers from The University of Leicester have completed a study which is adding weight to the increasingly popular attitude that the daily '9 to 5' may not be the most productive or efficient structure of working for all of us.

The study, published in Frontiers in Neurology, explains that the researchers have discovered nearly 80 genes associated with ‘morningness’ or ‘lateness’. The results are based on their analysis of fruit flies, who surprisingly have a very similar ‘genetic clock’ to us.

The research was focused on the timing of the fruit flies emerging from their pupal case, an event that is regulated by their natural internal clock (circadian clock). While most flies emerged during dawn (‘larks’), there were some rogue flies emerging later on (‘owls’). When they compared the genes of both sets of flies, it became apparent that there were nearly 80 genes that were expressing differently to trigger this behaviour.

What does this means for us humans? Well for those of us that are the ‘owls’, it indicates that trying to work the 9 to 5 schedule is going against our natural internal clock. Where possible, ‘owls’ should ideally be working later in the day, or at least prioritising important tasks to when their bodies are most naturally awake.

While the luxury of choosing our working hours might currently be limited to the few, as research in this field changes attitudes and advances in technology supports more work flexibility; it's likely there will be an increase in 'owls' working to a schedule that is more natural and productive for 'owls', and the businesses they work in.

Stress-Related Skin Issues and Sönd Skin Care

It can be hard to avoid the things that cause stress. For many of us, avoiding stress altogether is near on impossible. So if we're not able to avoid stress, then prioritising sleep seems like something that can help with stress relief. The right skin care regimen will also help to protect the skin, so check out the Sönd range of alkalising skin care, designed to suit skin just like yours.